Acting for a greater good

Louise Durack.

With Intel taking the number one spot in the recent 100 Best Corporate Citizens List as the organisation which best combined business goals with responsible practices, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of IT firms is increasingly coming under scrutiny.

IT, of course, is a significant contributing industry to greenhouse gases as a result of computers, power, airconditioning, manufacturing and “system idle time,” so no surprise then from an environmental standpoint.

Many vendors, distributors and resellers have however, jumped on the Green IT bandwagon, claiming to be active ‘in doing their bit’ for the environment, as well as ensuring that suppliers comply to standards concerning packaging and recycling. But of course, it’s not just the environment that is at stake.

Community involvement, philanthropy, employee relations, supply chain management and corporate governance are just some of the all-important areas which can fall under the CSR banner.

And giving back to society, whether it be economically, socially or environmentally, is according to many, good for business.

But does operating with uncompromising integrity mean compromising on business profitability? The answer is no, according to global technology company Dimension Data.

The organisation made the decision four years ago to implement a focused CSR program as a sustainable framework for investment in its local community that could provide a win-win situation for all concerned.